Academy teachers suspended for tying up pupil in class

Two teachers have been suspended after mobile phone footage showed a 16-year-old pupil being tied up with electrical tape and taunted in front of his classmates at a new academy in Kent.

Police and social services have investigated at Folkestone Academy and parents have been told of the incident in a letter from the headteacher of the school that condemns the incident and describes it as a "prank" that went wrong.

The film of the incident on November 28 shows the sixth-form pupil lying face down with his hands tied behind his back. He is surrounded by other pupils and a male teacher is crouched in front of him.

At one point in the five-minute clip a voice, believed to be a teacher's, says: "Give us a shout when you are ready to start grovelling." It ends with the pupil being released by another teacher. The boy was reportedly distressed.

The school, which is sponsored by Roger de Haan, former chairman of the Saga business, confirmed that the teachers at the incident were the engineering teacher, David Holland, and another man named only as O'Neill. It is not clear whether both teachers were directly involved.

A source at the school was reported as saying: "It was like something you would expect in Guantánamo Bay or an al-Qaida video - not in a school. The school has made a lot of noise about being tough on bullies and raising standards, and this kind of thing just makes a mockery of that."

The boy's parents reportedly fear their son could be bullied over the incident.

The academy has attracted controversy for its student policies; pupils are required to agree to 53-pages of behaviour policies which include "seclusion zones" for misbehaving and holidays for high achievers. In the first three weeks of term 100 pupils were excluded for breaking new rules.

In a letter to parents the school's headteacher, John Patterson, said "Although this incident may have been intended to be good humoured, the academy sees the alleged behaviour as totally inappropriate and unacceptable within a school. We have suspended the two staff involved while the matter is investigated and have referred the incident to the police and social services."

The £38m academy opened this year in buildings designed by the architects Foster and Partners. Sponsors have the right to appoint the governing policy, which rules on the curriculum, behaviour policies and teacher appointments. De Hann had chosen to chair the governing body.

Co-sponsored by Kings School Canterbury, and partnered with the University of Kent, Folkestone Academy is run along the lines of a traditional private school, with house masters overseeing pupils' pastoral support.

A spokeswoman for Kent police confirmed that a joint investigation with social services had been carried out but that no further action was being taken.